Page 12 of Nothing to This

“You meant…”

“They knew that,” she said.“Your children are master manipulators and your daughter wishes she was a mermaid.Put the pieces together.They played you.Much as I’d love to mock you for a while, I’m going to be late for work and now I have to dry my daughter’s hair.”Guiding Sky, she paused at the sink and was almost afraid to ask, “Why is my toothbrush in here?”

“Kye got it for Daddy.”

Leading her daughter out, she called over her shoulder.“If you’re moving in, bring your own toothbrush.Go help your boy get dressed.”

***

Drying Sky’s hair took longer than hoped, but the process was always prolonged when her daughter was excited.

Both of them were ready.She’d put the wet towels in the machine, and still there was no sign of the boys.In Kye’s room, they found them on the bed playing a SpongeBob computer game… badly from the looks of it.

At least Kye was dressed; that was something.JD, on the other hand, had Kye’s covers over his lap.

“Come on, we’ve got to go, baby,” she said.

Kye looked up at his father who did a double take.“I think she’s talking to you, buddy.”

“Daddy has no clothes.”

Damn, JD’s wet clothes, right.

“I’d have called someone, except I don’t have a phone.”

“Hold on,” she said, intending to leave the room.“Kids, give Daddy a kiss and say bye.I want you ready to walk out in two minutes.”

Rushing to her bedroom closet, she snagged a couple of things and returned to Kye’s room.

“Time to go, Mommy,” Sky said, grabbing her brother to pull him along.

Rylee stepped aside to let the kids out into the hall to race to the front door.

“Here,” she said, tossing the clothes to JD.

“What’s this?”he asked, picking up the shirt.

“It’ll do until you get back to your hotel.”

“Why do you have guys’ clothes?Who do they belong to?”

“My boyfriend,” she said.“He won’t mind.”She turned away only to turn back.“Oh, and your charged phone is in the kitchen drawer under the coffee machine.There are spare keys for the apartment in there too.Have a good day.”

Running behind would leave her frazzled for the rest of the day.Yet, she felt sort of lighter as she and the twins headed out into the world.

An unexpected new chapter?Yes.Where would it lead?

FIVE

She’d swear she’d only just sat at her desk when her phone rang.Okay, maybe she’d been there an hour, but it had taken that long to orient herself and get her schedule in order.See, frazzled.

“Rylee Hampton,” she answered.

“Ry, can you come upstairs?”

Whose voice was that?She didn’t recognize the extension either.

“Who is this?”